Feds collect more documents

A U.S. Secret Service agent visited at least three Luzerne County government offices Friday to obtain more documents about a record improvement fund linked to a bribery charge against county Clerk of Courts Robert Reilly.

A Secret Service agent served the Clerk of Courts office with a subpoena seeking information involving the record fund, office Solicitor Pete Moses verified.

An agent also stopped at both the prothonotary and controller’s offices to collect or request records connected to the fund, according to Prothonotary Carolee Medico Olenginski and Controller Walter Griffith.

Reilly, 57, of Wilkes-Barre, is facing a federal bribery charge for allegedly steering work to contractor Barton Weidlich in exchange for $1,500 in kickbacks. Most of the payments to Weidlich were made from the records improvement fund, and Reilly serves as chairman of the committee that oversees the fund.

The bulk of the $50,000 in payments to Weidlich’s JPW Construction stayed hidden until recently because Reilly paid the company through an outside records consultant – Wayne, Pa.-based LRW Solutions Group, or Little Red Wagon – using funds controlled by the record improvement committee.

Reilly has maintained that he didn’t obtain public votes authorizing payments to Weidlich and others because fellow record improvement committee members failed to attend meetings – a claim that at least two other members deny.

Clerk of Courts Deputy Tom Pizano has been running the office since Reilly was charged on April 16.

Moses said he accepted the subpoena on behalf of the office and has contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office to verify its receipt and indicate that a response “will be forthcoming.”

Moses verified that the subpoena seeks information about the record improvement fund but declined to reveal the specific information requested.

“Our office will do everything in its power to comply with the subpoena and to be responsive to the federal authorities,” he said.

Moses said he does not know if an office representative will be required to testify before a federal grand jury about the documents on May 18. The subpoena was served on the office, not Reilly, he said.

Griffith said a Secret Service agent visited his office Friday afternoon to obtain copies of invoices that were attached to payments to LRW.

Medico Olenginski said the agent who stopped at her office Friday morning wanted a copy of a letter written by Reilly connected to the fund.

Both row officers had already furnished other information to the Secret Service about payments to LRW, which received at least $970,800 since 2005. A Secret Service official had confirmed that the agency was “aggressively investigating” the payments, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI.

Reilly’s attorney, Michael Butera, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

Butera said earlier this week that Reilly continues to maintain his innocence, saying, “He is not guilty of the charge they have accused him of.”

County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Thomas Burke has suggested that Reilly take a leave of absence to prevent the appearance of impropriety. The office handles the recording of county criminal court records. The county can’t stop Reilly’s pay if he takes a leave because he is guaranteed $36,562 per year as an elected row officer.

Reilly, who has been treating his absence as vacation time, was exploring the possibility of returning to the office to handle non-supervisory work while the charges are pending so he would not be receiving a pay without working, Butera has said. However, county Solicitor Vito DeLuca said he doesn’t believe Reilly could legally do that because he was elected to be an office holder, not a clerical worker.

A meeting of the records improvement committee has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, the first meeting since Reilly was charged.

The three county commissioners, sheriff, treasurer, register of wills and prothonotary sit on the committee by law, in addition to the clerk of courts. Funds spent by the committee come from a fee on recorded deeds.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.

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Luzerne County Government

Secret Service agent visits three county offices

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